How hot is too hot to ship?

Court562

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Hello all. I'm getting a new 8 month Lepord tortoise. She's coming from Arizona overnight. I see the temperature over in Arizona are 106 today. The tortoise will be going to California. Would any of you know if that's too hot to ship, or am I just worried for nothing? The seller is shipping at my request but say they don't like to ship over 100.
 

wellington

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I personally would not want it shipped in that hot of temps. That said, I have never shipped a tortoise but have had a few plus lizardsshipped to me. They usually do have a temp limit and if you insist, they won't guarantee live arrival.
 

deadheadvet

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It would depend on how you are receiving the tortoise. If it is coming FEDEX, I would request that the tortoise be shipped to the closest Fedex location to you and hold for pickup. If it is very hot at the time of drop off, they should put some cool packs on top of the container in the shipping box. Under those guidelines, it should be ok. Lucky Ariz. to Calif. is not a lot of travel time for the tortoise. Here in NC, I can drop up to 9pm for overnight. By then the temp is usually safe to transport.
 

wellington

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It would depend on how you are receiving the tortoise. If it is coming FEDEX, I would request that the tortoise be shipped to the closest Fedex location to you and hold for pickup. If it is very hot at the time of drop off, they should put some cool packs on top of the container in the shipping box. Under those guidelines, it should be ok. Lucky Ariz. to Calif. is not a lot of travel time for the tortoise. Here in NC, I can drop up to 9pm for overnight. By then the temp is usually safe to transport.

When you or anyone drops off for shipping, does it usually leave the drop sight that same day/night, like within a couple hours?
So the longest area it would be sitting is in the delivery area, not the drop off area?
So the temps would be more important where it's going and not where it's shipped from?
 

Court562

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Yeah I think it would be ok. He's not shipping her until the end of the day to avoid sitting there hot in the box.
 

wellington

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Yeah I think it would be ok. He's not shipping her until the end of the day to avoid sitting there hot in the box.
The OP does not say what time of day the shipper is shipping. That's a different person stating he does it in the evening.
 

Tom

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People have been shifting reptiles all over this country for decades. If you're buying from a reputable source they know how to pack up properly and went to ship it. They will probably put ice packs in the top of the box to keep things cooler, and most of the time when you are shipping overnight you don't drop the tortoise offer shipping until the evening time. Last pick up for me for FedEx is at 4 PM, and 5 PM for UPS. Whenever I have to ship an animal I don't drop it off to the air-conditioned building until just before the last pick up time. The tortoises in transit overnight, and even during hot weather we have cold nights here in Southern California. As long as it makes it to you by 1030 in the morning, as it should we overnight shift, everything should be fine.

A bigger concern of mine, since your tortoise is coming from Arizona, is how the baby was started after hatching. Was it soaked daily? Was it kept indoors with reasonable humidity and a humid hide? Or was it left outside all day long every day in the hot dry sun?
 

keepergale

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Not temperature related but I like Monday or Tuesday shipments just in case problems arise. Weekends are never the best time to iron out issues.
 

Court562

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He ended up not shipping her. FedEx could not guarantee overnight delivery and she would of been sitting in thier hands too long. Looks like we wait until Monday but the temperature in Arizona is 112. Should he ship her while its 112?? What is too hot? She's a Lepord Tortoise.
 

Robyn@TRR

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Summer shipping in the heat is tough. It is a lot easier to ship in the winter, as opposed to the heat of the summer.

For spots like Arizona, or Las Vegas, it can be especially challenging. Over 100F in either shipping origin or destination is extra difficult.

As some mentioned, dropping off late in the day at the actual FedEx facility helps quite a bit, that is one key strategy for extreme weather shipping.

Shipping to a FedEx facility for pickup is another key in extreme weather shipping. An overnight package would typically arrive at the facility well before 8am, then be available for pickup once the facility opens at 9am or later. It would be in a temperature controlled interior environment waiting for the recipient to pick it up (you will need a photo ID matching the label). That is much more desirable than having it go out on a truck for delivery. Overnight delivery to most addresses is 10:30am, but some outlying addresses may be 12 noon, or 4:30pm. The delivery time is specified on the label, and at ShipYourReptiles we also tell you the delivery time when you are booking. See more here-https://www.shipyourreptiles.com/en/get-help/get-help-shipping-tracking#question-42

We show how to book Hold for Pickup to a FedEx facility at the ShipYourReptiles site. Be sure you choose an actual FedEx facility, and not a FedEx Office/Kinko's or other franchised type location. You want the actual FedEx staffed facility.

If shipping goes perfectly, with late drop off and FedEx facility delivery, the animal should be fine with a daytime high of 100F.

HOWEVER, if the package is delayed, if it misses a flight, if there is mechanical issue, if there is a thunderstorm or some other delay, and the package won't be delivered until the next day, that does indeed introduce all kinds of new dangers and concerns to the health and safe arrival of the animal, given the extreme temps.

ShipYourReptiles does offer Live Arrival Insurance for your reptile packages, but you have to meet our SYR Shipping Standards, and that includes weather guidelines, and there is a 100F cut off (follow this link for our specific temperature guidelines for summer and winter). So in this case, with a high of 106F, it wouldn't qualify, you would need to wait for a cooler window to ship.

As someone else noted, for breeders living in Arizona, they already know the limits and risks of summer shipping. If you are working with a reputable breeder, they should guarantee live arrival. If they have concerns about live arrival, or extreme temps, they should refuse to ship on that day. Some buyers insist on a particular shipping day, temps and animal welfare risks be damned, and some breeders will go along with that, at your own risk. But when an animal arrives DOA under those extreme temp conditions, it just doesn't seem worth it with the clear and present dangers.

You might have to wait an extra week to get a shipment from this breeder. Being Arizona, you might have to wait an extra two months. If you are getting an awesome specimen from a great breeder, that is worth it in the long run. If you can find a temperature window where it is 100F or less in both origin and destination, that would be your best summer plan of attack.

Know the risks, make the best choice for both you and the animals. Best of luck!
 

Court562

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She just arrived safely. Was shipped at 7pm while the temperature dropped. Arrived at 10:18am today!
 
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